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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · squash · row · race · drill · wake · band · fine

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. race — humankind
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fine — all right
  11. race — a contest
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — a series
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. row — a line
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — a trail
  24. race — the arms race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com